Bowl shaped play thing



March 1959 B. WINCHESTER 2,878,858

BOWL SHAPED PLAY THING Filed March 6, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig. .l.

INVENTOR.

BARBARA IVA/CHESTER ATTORNEY MarCh 1959 I VB. WINCHESTER 2,878,858-

BOWL SHAPED PLAY THING Filed March 6, 1957 3- Sheets-Sheet 2 22 INVENTOR.

BARBARA I/VGHESTE 62 )1 fig ATTORNEY March 1959 a. WINCHESTER 2,878,858

7 BOWL SHAPED PLAY THING .Filed March 6, 1957 v :5 s eets-sheet 3 INVENTOR. BARBARA WING/IE5 ER BYfiIKkK/Zu A TTORNEY United States l i 2,878,858 1 3 I am SHAPED PLAY THING. BarbaraWinches ter, Oi'inda, Calif. '1 Application March 6,1957, Serial No.- 644,379

2 Claims. cl. 155-69) climbs inside the object and through the gyrations of the body, controls the movement of the toy'. One of the objects of the present invention isto pro vide a toyinto which active children can "climb; and by throwing the weight of their bodies from sideto'side or in circles, can, with safety, move aboutonthe near; and in this way release their'natural energy'without-im jury to themselves or to anyone else. I i Another object of the invention is to provide-a toy of amusement device adapted for adults entertainment at parties and the like,in which the adult may sit in it or may stand and rock about or walk. When two or more are used by different contestants, a race can be staged from point to point in a room or auditorium or patio. Of course, an adult may lie, sit or kneel inside the device and use it in the same manner as a child.

' Another object of the invention is to train children ina sense of balance. When in this toy andjcontrolling its movement by the gyrations of the body, the child will learn balance and synchronization of movement and thus gain co-ordination and assurance at an earlier age than otherwise possible on hazardous wheel toys.

Another object'of the invention is to provide'a toy' which lends itself to the development of the 'legmuscles, fora child'can kneel in the device and'have one or the other of his legs extending over the side to use to propel itand cause him and the device to spin on thefloor. Once the device is spinning, the occupant can travel and which is illustrated in the drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a view in side elevation and partly' in section of one form of my device; Y m" "Fig. 2 shows a portion of the device of Fig. 1 when tilted: at an angle and resting with its side in contact with- 'Fig': 3 is a plan view of the device of Fig. l; Figs. 4 to show'the device in several of its differen possible uses. In Fig. 4, the occupant is producing a rocking motion; v I

- In Fig. 5, the occupant is causing the device to move around the floor in an elliptical path by gyrating the body;

In- Fig. 6, the occupant is causing the device to rotate on a fixed center; .In'Fig. 7, the occupantis producing rotation of the device by extending one leg over the side and pushing with it;, ,1

In Fig. 8, the occupant is walking the device across the floor by alternately removing his weight from one foot to the other while applying a twisting movementto his body;

In Fig. 9, the device is being used by two occupants; In Fig. 10, the device is being rocked back and forth bytwo occupants;

Patented Mar. 24, 1959 In Fig. 11, a modified form of the device is shownin vertical cross section; 3 f

In Fig. 12 a fragmentary view of a further modified form of the device is shown in vertical section.

Some of the advantages and a few of the possible uses of the device are apparent from Figures 4 to 10 inclusive. T

Referring now to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the device will be described in one of its embodiments. The numeral denotes the bottom pan-like floor-contacting portion of the structure. Preferably seen in cross section, it has an 5 1r This invention relates to a toy in which-the rider 1 easy curve much like the rocker on a rocking chair. As shown, this bottom portion 20 is made of a stamping separate from the floor portion 21. The latter has a flatter contour than the outer wall portion 20,and as shown in Fig. 1, is formed continuous-with the outwardly sloping wall portion 22, having a slight recess at 23 to receive the rim 24 of the floor-contacting disc portion 20, so that the contour on the floor-engaging portion is substantially smooth. The sloping wall portion 22 forms a continuation of the floor-engaging portion 20 and itself comes in contact with the floor when the toy is rocked over to its full tilt point, as shown in Fig.2 of the drawings. I have designated with the numeral C the point or corner at which the upper portion 22 engages the floor. Extending above the point Cin this embodiment,

as shown in Fig. l, is an outwardly flared wall 25 having its 'upper edge spun'or rolled over to form a smoothrounded rim 26. The slope to be given to the wall 25 may vary, but preferably it should be at a sharper angle than the wall portion 22 where it has joined to it the gripping rim 26. The reason for this is that when the occupant rocks the toy over to bring the point C in contact with the floor, as shown in Fig. 2, there is room between the point F and the floorG for the fingers of the occupant to continue gripping the rim 26 and yet not be in contact with thefloor. v

I have discovered that there are certain dimensions and proportions in this structure which give a better result that if these proportions are disregarded. To make these clear, I have given the numeral A to the point on the upper floor member 21 where a vertical line drawn from thecenter of the device crosses. This line 27 could be called a plumb line when the device is in its inactive upright position on the floor. The numeral B is where the plumb line 27 crosses the bottom or floor-engaging portion 20 and the numeral D is where the same line 27 crosses a line connecting the point C. I,

The device shown in Fig. 1 has a proportion so that the distance from A to B is about one-third of the distance from B to D. The distance from B to'D is about onehalf of the distance from D to C, so that the distance from C to C is about four times the length of the line B to D. The shape or contour given to the wall section 22 lying below the point C preferably is such that a line connecting the point C and running tangent to the lower surface 20 will cross the plumb line 27 at an angle of about '45 degrees. This angle may be varied, depending upon the eifective traveling radius desired for the device, but I prefer a dimension in the range of 40 to 50- The angle of 45 degrees is also illustrated in degrees. Fig. 2 of the drawings, where the device is tipped on its side and the line 28 in Fig. 1 coincides with the floor in Fig. 2. In this case, the projection of the line 27 gives the angle atH as about 45 degrees.

' While the device has been illustrated in the drawings as having the bottom portion 20 made separate from the upper portions 22 and 25, this, at themoment, was a manufacturing expedient because of thelack of a press deep enough to make the device in one draw. Where the device is made from one piece, then the inner floor sec tion 21 may be made'in a separate piece and inserted or may be formed by filling to the level of the line 21 with some form of h'ardenable plastic or other material.

In laying out a device of the type shown here, the first step could be to draw the line 27, then draw the line 28 off at an angle of about 45 degrees. The next step is to decide on what the capacity of the device is to be, that is, what is to be the distance from C to C needed to accommodate a child, or if it is to be used for adult entertainment and exercise, what would be the necessary dimension from C to C to accommodate an adult. A satisfactory size for a child is for the distance from C to C to be in a range of about 26 inches. The next point to locate is the bottom or B, and this is obtained by dividing the distance from C to C by 4 which would give a distance of about 6 inches for the line from D to B. Then the height of the point A above B would be about one-third of that dimension, or slightly over two inches. These dimensions, if followed, will assure a satisfactorily operating device, and one that will not tilt too far or subject the occupant to risk of injury by over-tilting, which could happen if the center of gravity, that is, if the floor 21 were raised too high in the device.

While I have referred to the point C as a corner, it is actually a continuous ridge or a floor contact area on the outer wall 22 of the structure. When the outer wall 31 extends beyond where the point C would come, as in Fig. 12, the structure still meets by definition, for in the claims, the point C is referred to as being. at least as far from D as specified. In other words, it does not have to be in the form of a bend or corner (when seen in cross section) in those cases where the outer wall 31 extends out beyond the point C as in Fig. 12.

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary view of a modification in which the point C falls along the bottom wall 31, and the extra length of wall beyond the point C serves as a. bumper to engage vertical surfaces on. furniture or the room or house walls. The upturned edge 32 forms this bumper surface. The back-turned portion. 33 and the spun rim or gripping rim 34 complete the structure of Fig. 12, which in other respects is substantially like the The wall 33 need not extend. in-

gripping rim 26 is formed from a strip material 40 in the form of a loop or hoop which is then press fitted into a receiving rim 41. A few spaced spot welds or rivets will secure these parts together. The upwardly extending portion 25 of the device has beyond the vertical wall 41 an out-turned flange 42 adapted to receive a bead orbumper of suitable material. 43 which engages the wall of the room or building or any other vertically extending object and serves to protect the fingers of the occupant which are gripping the rim 26. I

From Figs. 4 to the versatility of the device will become apparent. These figures show different motions possible with the device depending upon how the occupant throws his weight. One of the advantages of this invention is teaching control and a sense of balance for young people. It may also be used for older people who may be recovering from some form of illness.

As will be seen, the device operates on a flat or smooth surface, either in close indoor quarters or in broader spaces on the outside. It is adapted to be operated by the occupants own movement, or it can be spun by another person standing to one side. Because of the carefully arranged proportions, the device has a high degree of safety regardless of how the occupant. throws his weight. As the Figures 4 to 10 show, there are an. infinite number of variations of movement possible with the device, so that it can retain the interest of the child feature and its high degree of balance, the child can become accustomed to very fast movement while in it, and thus overcome any sense of fear arising from speeding devices.

Fig. 8 illustrates how a person can walk the device across the fioor. This makes it a desirable game or amusement device for use at adult as well as child's parties, because with two or more of the devices, races can be staged.

While I have illustrated certain shapes for the part, it is not intended thereby to limit the invention except as may be required by the appended claims.

What I claim. as my invention is:.

1. An open-topped, tub-like toy for developing a sense of balance and body control for the one using it on a floor, comprising a generally rounded, metal, outer bottom member shaped as a generally spherical segment to bear on. the floor and a generally rounded, metal, inner. bottom member shaped as a generally spherical segment of larger radius than said outer, member, on which the user. lies, sits, stands, onkneels, secured to an. annularperipheral portion of said outer member,

' said. inner member having anv outwardly flaring portion by' the lines through; said bead generally tangent to said:

outer member being about 45, said inner member also; extending upwardly from said bead at an angle steeper than 45 and terminating in a rounded guard and. handgrip rail which remains out of contact with the floor when the toy-is tipped so that said bead is in contact with the floor.

2. An open-topped, tub-like toy for developing a sense of balance and body control for the one using, it on. a

7 floor, comprising a generally rounded, outwardly convex, metal, outer bottom. member to bear on the floor and a. generally rounded, outwardly concave,. metal, inner bottom member of larger radius than said outer member, on which the user lies, sits, stands, or. kneels, secured to said outer bottom member along an. annular. peripheral portion ofthe said outer bottom member, said inner bottom member having an outwardly flaring. pontion provided with an annular bead, said inner member diverging. from said outer member to a maximum distance at their surface centers equal to about: onethir'd. to one-half. the distance of the plane of said. .beadfi'om the surface center of said outer member, the diameter of said head being between three and five times the, distance of said bead from said surface. center ofsaid outer member, and, when said plane of said beadnis horizontal, the angle' formed with the floor by the. lines. through said bead generally tangent to said. outer member being between 40" and 50, said toy also having a rim extending upwardly from said bead at an angle. steeper than that of the said angle of tangency to form a supplemental guard and gripping rail that remains entirely out of contact with the floor when the toy is: tipped so that a portion of said bead is in contact with the floor.

References Cited in the. file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,395,698. Baum et al. Nov. 1, 1921 1,712,703 Hudson May 14, 1929 1,979,844 Rouenville Nov. 6, 1934 2,471,528 Kling May 31, 1949 2,615,495 Hilliker c. Oct. 28, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE QEBTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent N00 2 878358 March. 24, 1959 Barbara Winchester It is hereby certif-ied that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction and that the said Letters Patent should read as corrected below.

Column 2 lin'eAO for "that" read than column 3 line 28 for "by cie'afinition read my definition column 4 line 30; for "their" read. ma said r Signed. and sealed this 18th day of August 1959.,

KARL 5i, AXLINE Attesting Officer ROBERT C. WATSON Commissioner of Patents 

